Origins: Akoriz On Dark Italian Roots, Dancefloor Energy And Finding Emotion Inside Relentless Techno
- Dec 18, 2025
- 3 min read
ARTCORE closes out 2025 with the eighth chapter of its DUO series, pairing two Italian artists whose paths into hard techno share intensity but arrive from different angles. Alongside R.Korner, Rome-based Akoriz delivers two tracks that feel locked to the dancefloor, driven by urgency yet threaded with emotion and memory.
For Akoriz, the foundations of that sound were laid long before big rooms, international touring, or releases on labels like ARTCORE, HEKATE, and Kneaded Pains. His relationship with techno began in Naples, not Rome, at a moment when the Technapoli movement was shaping a darker, slower, and deeply hypnotic strain of Italian techno.
“I actually grew up in Naples, during a period when the Technapoli movement was exploding,” he explains. “Artists like Markantonio and Rino Cerrone were absolute reference points for me. That sound was slower compared to today’s standards, but deeply dark, hypnotic, and intense.”
Those early experiences were not defined by clubs or spectacle. They were raw, communal, and physical. “We used to go to the Old River Park. A forest, a wall of speakers, and the DJ in the center. No club aesthetics, no decorations, just pure energy,” he recalls. “The first time a friend brought me there, I felt something indescribable. People moving together, hugging, with no social differences. We were all the same.”
That sense of shared intensity still underpins his approach to music today. Even as BPMs rise and production grows sharper, the emotional core remains central. Italy’s long tradition of expressive music continues to surface in unexpected places within his tracks.
“That emotional influence shows up especially in the pauses of my tracks,” he says. “The voices, the pads, the atmosphere that creates suspense. Even some of my synths have a melodic vein that comes from that Italian sense of emotion and drama. Even when the track is hard and fast, there’s always an emotional moment inside.”
On ARTCORE DUO VIII, Akoriz’s contributions ‘Can I See U On The Dancefloor’ and ‘Hangover’ embody that balance. Both are fast, direct, and physical, but neither feels empty or purely functional. ‘Hangover’ in particular came from a personal place. “It was written during a particular moment in my life,” he explains. “I wanted something melodic and emotional but also hard and aggressive. It was a personal need.”
‘Can I See U On The Dancefloor’ was born directly from club experience. “I wrote it after seeing someone dancing with incredible energy through my entire set,” he says. “When I got home, I thought, I’d love to see this person dance forever. From that came the vocal and the flutes in the break, which create a dreamy, unique atmosphere.”
That feedback loop between studio and dancefloor has become essential to his process. Touring across Europe and Asia, and playing at major venues like Printworks, Hï Ibiza, and E1, has sharpened his instincts. “The energy changes completely from city to city,” he notes. “Some places have a more mental crowd, some are more instinctive, and others push you to go harder immediately. Seeing how different cultures connect to my sound enriches me and influences the way I build my sets.”
ARTCORE, he says, has played a key role in enabling that evolution without compromise. “ARTCORE especially feels like a real family for me,” he explains. “These spaces allow me to express myself freely and to feel supported creatively in a way that’s different from working alone.”
Despite the momentum, Akoriz sees his sound as a natural progression rather than a calculated shift. “My sound evolved naturally over time,” he reflects. “As the scene, the technology, and the sound changed, so did I. I increased the BPM, changed the structure of the breaks, but in every track I try to keep my signature, my identity.”
That focus on identity remains his driving force. “Playing in clubs is what tells me if I’m truly transmitting something,” he says. “Seeing the crowd’s reaction is still my biggest motivation.”
ARTCORE DUO VIII does not try to reinvent Akoriz. Instead, it captures him at full intensity, rooted in experience, shaped by emotion, and driven by the same energy that first pulled him into the forest all those years ago.
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